otho wilson



(No Model.) S. 0.`WILSON.

ToBAGco sTIo'K.

- No. 355,579. Y Patented Jan. 4, 1887.v

sinn UNITED .STATES PATENT OFFICE.

s. oTHo wILsoN, ork RALEIGH, NORTHA CAROLINA.

TOBACCO-STICK.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 355,579. dated January4, 1887.

i Application filed August 27, 1886. Serial No. 212,039. (No model.)

Y ripen, beginning at the bottom of the stalk and leaving the greenleaves on the stalk until they ripen, when they are removed in theirturn and cured ata later` period. By this pro! cess waste is prevented,and the tobacco is obtained without the stalk and without the necessityof tying. The leaves can be so selected as to be uniform in color, andto produce a uniform color when cured. A further advantage of curing theleaf separately from the stalk is that evaporation will take place morerapidly, and the drying process will thus be hastened and take place ata much lower temperature, thus securing a brighter color in the product.A further advantage of thus curing the leaves .separately from the stalkis that the tobacco can be stored away to be ordered or tied up inbundles, necessitating less labor in grading by reason of the fact thatany particular grade is accessible to the farmer when `wanted withouthandling all the grades.

My invention relates to a stick or hanger whereon the leaves of tobaccomay be strung for curing and storage; and it consists in certain detailsof construction which will be fully described with reference to theaccompanying drawings and then pointed 'out specifically in the claims.

- In said drawings, Figure I is a perspective view showing one of myimproved tobacco sticks or hangers on which are strung a number oftobacco leaves. Fig. II is a plan of the stick. Fig. III is a sectionalview of one form thereof, and Fig. IVa similar View of a modiied form. l

1 is a stick of wood, which may be of any ordinary Aor desired length.It is generally, however, about four feet in length. At or about itscenter there is provided a hole, 2, through which passes a wire, 3,sharpened at each end. This wire is of such length that when bent in theform shown it will not project beyond the ends of the wooden stick 1. Itmay be of substantially the same lengt-h as the stick or slightlyshorter.

On each side of the stick the wire 3, on passing through the hole,isbent in an opposite direction from that in which its end lies. It isthen bent outward in a line at right angles to the stick, this portion 4being half an inch in length or thereabout, and is then againv bentatright angles so as to run toward the end of the stick and paralleltherewith. It will be seen that the wire beingv bent in this manner oneach side of the stick, the result .will be that a clear space isallowed between the wire and stick to admit the stern of the tobaccoleaf without bruising it, and at the same time the wire is preventedfrom slipping transversely through the stick. When the wire has lthusbeen placed in position, there is passed through the stick, midwaybetween its center and ends, or at shorter intervals, nails 5, square orround, and barbed or not barbed; preferably, however, they are barbed,as shown. After being placed in position these nails are bent in theform of a hook, as shown at 6, to support the ywire when the tobaccoleaves have been strung thereon.

Near each end of the stick, on that side on which lies the wire, is anail, 7, similar to nail 5, but having its projecting end bent soas toform an eye, 8. These eyes thus formed may beset at a distance of aboutone inch from each end of the wire, so that by slighty bending orspringing the wire its end may be inserted in the eyes and then securedin the hook. It is thus securely retained.

When in operation, the stick is held in one hand and the tobacco leavespulled from the stalk with the other. the wire is passedthrough the stemof the leaf, near the end, andthe loaves are strung along on the wire atproper distances from each other. Instead of this being done in thefield, the leaves may be pulled from the stalk and carried to the barnor curing-house, or elsewhere, and there strung on the wire. The

The sharpened point of i ICO wire when full is then sprung outward fromthe stick at a point intermediate of its center and end to shorten itsufficiently to enable the passage of the end'of'the wire through theend eye. The intermediate portion of the wire is then supported over thehook 6. One end of the stick being thus filled, the stick is reversedand the other end is filled in the same manner. The stick with itssupported'tobacco may then be hung in a barn for curing in the usualWay. When cured, the tobacco can be bulked or hung on the sticks, orslipped off of the wire, and the sticks used again for further curing.

Having thus described my invention, the following is what I claim as newtherein and desire to secure by Letters Patent:

1. The combination of a tobacco-stick, 1, a Single Wire, 3, passedthrough the middle poru, tion of the stick and extending in oppositedirections to the ends thereof, parallel with and on opposite sides ofthe stick, and hooks ends are supported, substantially as shown and Adescribed.

S. OTHO WILSON. Vitnesses:

OoTAVIUs KNIGHT, HARRY C. KNIGHT.

